These are very fretful times for families in this country. When the Taoiseach came to power in May 2008 the number on the live register was 202,000. The Central Statistics Office will release the comparable figure this morning at 11 a.m. for January 2010. Will the Taoiseach inform the House of what that figure is?

The January live register will show an increase, as it has done every year for the past ten years. The headline total will be 436,900, reflecting five weeks activity. The month on month increase will be 13,300 or 3.1% and the year on year increase will be 110,600 or 33.9%. The year on year increase has fallen again in January, having declined from the peak of 194,700 reported in June 2009. The month on month increase is almost two thirds less than the 36,300 increase reported for January 2009, which also reflected five weeks activity. However, the figure for January 2010 is still the second highest January increase on record. The standardised unemployment rate for January is expected to be 12.7%, up from 12.5% in December 2009. When seasonal factors are taken into account the live register for January is estimated at 434,700. This is a month on month increase of 8,000 or 1.9% since January 2009 and a year on year increase of 110,000 or 34% since January 2009. As the Deputy will be aware, the live register does not refer simply to the level of unemployment. The number of unemployed who are drawing five days a week is 279,000.

Those are devastating figures. Following on the Exchequer returns yesterday, they are a litany of despair from a Government that has failed to put any plan or strategy in place to deal with this situation. There is no point in drifting onwards and looking back in six months to see what might have happened. It is apparent from the Exchequer returns yesterday that every tax is down, but leaping out of those figures is the decline in VAT. The reason for that is, first, consumers have less money to spend, but they are fearful of spending money because no plan, strategy or hope is being given to them by Government.

Governments can make things happen. The Government must do something. For instance, it could examine the reality of literally thousands of retail outlets around the country that are barely hanging on. I predict that at the end of the first quarter several thousand more of them will be closed unless the Government does something. For instance, it could introduce the concept put forward by Fine Gael of a national recovery bank, which would introduce a new stream of credit into the economy that would allow for jobs to be retained, new jobs to be created and businesses to stay open. The Government could do that. It could consider the proposition put forward by Fine Gael of NewERA, a national economic recovery authority, which we reckon would create 100,000 jobs across the country in communications and renewables; jobs for engineers, graphic designers and farmers right across the country. The Government could do that. It could offer people a plan, hope and strategy to show that it is able to do something about a situation that is a litany of despair and disaster.

A total of 60,000 young people under the age of 25 have left the country. If the valve of emigration was not open the real figure for unemployment would be more than 500,000. Those young people are gone. They are in Australia, Canada, America and Britain. They are doing jobs for which they are completely over-qualified because the Government has failed to put any plan or strategy in place. It is clear from the evidence that the Government's economic plan, banking plan and stimulus have failed. What does the Government propose to do about that?

What is Fine Gael proposing? Deputy Kenny is undermining confidence every day.

This is the end of the first——

Deputy Kenny is being negative.

Deputy Kenny should be allowed to speak without interruption.

That is fine until one talks to the despairing parents and young people who see no hope coming from a Government that has no plan in place. I am offering the Taoiseach assistance in terms of an economic recovery authority, NewERA, and a national recovery bank to get new credit flowing into the system. If the Government is serious about making things happen it needs to change its ways and bring about a stimulus and an injection of Government action so that people all over the country will have some hope or confidence that the Government is in control of the economy and that it is not drifting endlessly, where all they hear is talk of further tax increases, levies and pay cuts. There is despair and depression all around.

Is that Fine Gael's manifesto?

Thousands of people are willing to put their shoulder to the wheel but they need hope and confidence from a Government that has no plan in place.

People have no confidence in Deputy Kenny.

In respect of 436,000 people on the live register, what is the Government's intention in terms of providing a stimulus to create jobs and give some confidence to people all over this island who are in absolute despair at what the Government is mumbling and talking about for the past 18 months? The Government's record of an increase in unemployment from 202,000 in May 2008 to 436,000 now speaks for itself. It is a disaster.

Deputy Kenny cannot even answer a straight question.

Deputy Kenny's accounts of despair are not where the people are at. They recognise that the country is being led in the right direction by taking the necessary——

The Taoiseach is deluding himself.

Who is the Taoiseach talking to?

He must be in the "head shops".

The Taoiseach can dream on.

The Taoiseach should be allowed to speak without interruption please.

Regaining our competitive edge is essential to protect jobs and to grow jobs in the future. Driving forward with enterprise, exports and employment is the only way forward, but the stabilisation of the public finances is an absolute prerequisite for that. This country is doing that. It is being referred to both at home and abroad as the right way forward to deal with the situation we are in. It is important to point out also that it is only by regaining competitiveness through the reductions in cost that have taken place and which will have to continue, and support from Enterprise Ireland and FÁS, that we will go forward. FÁS has brought forward employment action plans.

We know all about them.

People are referred to the FÁS employment action plan and 60% of them leave the live register. Of 70,000 referrals, 50,000 came off the register. We have to continue with the increased training and supports we are providing. More than 128,000 people received them in 2009 and will do so again in 2010. The bottom line is the Government wants to make sure we regain competitiveness in this economy. That is the process by which the economic recovery will come and all the negativity and attacks from the Fine Gael leader will not change that.

That is the reality.

The country will change the Government..